Stamping machine for signal-reading ribbon



w. DOUGALL. STAMPING MACHINE FOR SIGNAL READING RIBBON.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- IS, I920.

Patented May 2, 19 22.

3 SHEEIS-SHEEI I.

VENTOR 7f. Douylblf BYEJM W ATTORNEY w. DOUGALL.

STAMPING MACHINE FOR SI GNAL READING RIBBONL APPLICATION FILED MAR-13' 1920. 1 414,939, Patented May 2,1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY w. DOUGA LL.

STAMPING MACHINE FOR SIGNAL READING RIBBON.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, I920.

Patented May 2, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

fl-VENTOR 4m 1 I ATTORJVIY l magnets in electric connection with an ac- VJ'ILFRID DOUG-ALL, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

STAMPING MACHINE FOR SIGNAL-READING RIBBON.

arissa.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1922.

Application filed March 13, 1920. Serial No. 365,646.

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TVILFRID DOUGALL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and residing at 251 Hutchison Street, in the city and district of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Stamping Machine for Signal-Reading Ribbon, of which the following is the specification.

The invention relates to a stamping machine for signal reading ribbon, as described in the present specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The invention consists essentially in the novel. means employed, whereby the stamping members coincidently operate with the actuating members as the latter interpret thesubject matter into the signal language.

The objects of the invention are to transfer to a ribbon of paper, or other material, the'text of a book or other printed or written manuscript, and to translate the text into certain signs indicated by the perforations made; .to effect the translating and the transcribing of a text in an eflicient and accurate manner; to do all this in multiple arrangement, thereby saving expense and materially increasing production; and generally to provide for the blind and others not benefitting by sight reading, a simple, serviceable and durable machine for preparing the paper, sheets or ribbons.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine, showing the electrocompanying key board.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective detail of the stamping table.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the stamping table.

Figure 4 is an elevation of an electromagnet and rocker arm attached to the core thereof, showing the operative connection of'the latter to the punch.

Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view of the punching mechanism, carriage andribbon.

Like numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in each figure.

Referring to the drawings, the top rails 1 of a frame carry the transverse slide members 2, and these slide members are mounted and slide on the cross bars 3. The longitudinal pieces 4 are secured to the transverse slides 2 and serve as guides in the sliding movements.

The transverse slides 2 are operated by means of the handle 5 and the longitudinal pieces 4 are fitted with the angle bars 6, carrying the stamping table 7.

The table 7 is formed with the top plate 8 and bottom plate 9, distanced apart by the spacers 10 and secured by the bolts 11. The plate 8 is formed with the row of punch holes 12 and corresponding punch holes '13 are made in the bottom plate 9.

Intermediately of the distance between the top plate and bottom plate 9, the guiding shelves 14 and l5 are supported by the posts 16 from the bottom plate 9 and suitably spaced therefrom. The punches l7 formed at the ends to perforate papers are inserted in the holes 12 and extend therethrough, and also through the holes 18in the shelf 14, the holes 18 being in alignment with the holes 19 the shelf 15, both rows of holes being in alignment with the holes 13 in the bottom plate 9.

The punches 17 are held in their upper position by the springs 20 and return to that upper position on being forced clownwardly through the holes 19 and 13.

The stamping table 7 is rigidly secured to the longitudinal bars 6 approximately midway between the slides 2.

The plunger electro-magnets 21 are mounted on the slides 2 and are here shown as six on each slide in opposing arcs, the plungers or cores 22 being pivotally secured to the rocker arms 23, which are pivotally mounted from the bottom of the slides 2. The ends of the rocker arms 23 are immediately over the punches 17, so that on the energization of the electro-magnets, the plungers are operated and thus engage the punches 17 according to select-ion.

The several rolls 2e of paper in ribbon form are journalled in and between the rails 25 of the frame, while the rolls of paper 26 are journalled in the end posts of said frame, each shaft carrying a roll of paper having a pulley 27 operated by the driven pulley 28 on a driven shaft.

The single roll of paper 29 is journalled between the rails 25 and is made from the several rolls 24, and this roll is operated by the driven pulley 30 on the driven shaft.

The pulleys 28 and 30 are driven through any suitable reducing gear connected to any source of power.

The operation of the pulley 30, as will be readily seen by reference to the accompanying drawings, draws the many ribbons of paper from the several rolls 24;, and these ribbons are all drawn through the space between the shelf 15 and the bottom plate 9 of the stamping table 7 therefore the several ply of paper are between the holes 19 and 13.

It has been explained that the rocker arms terminate directly above the punches 17, so that in rocking they engage said punches, and it has also been mentioned that the plungers operate the said arms, therefore when the plungers are drawn in, the punches Will penetrate the several ply of paper and return to their upper position, as they are normally spring-held from engagement.

The electric battery 31 is inserted in the several circuits 32 that lead to and from the plunger electromagnets 21, and this provides the electric energy, though it may come from any other suitable source.

The wires from the electro-magnets on the one side terminate in the common contact plate 33, which is a terminal of the operat ing switches, the other terminals being individual to the several circuits.

The individual terminals are arranged in finger groups at and 35, left hand and right hand respectively, the thumb terminals 36 and 37, left and right respectively, and side thrust thumb terminals 38 and 39, left and right respectively. These terminals are 1n the form of keys and reach over the common contact plate 33, to which they are electrically connected by pressure of the fingers and thumbs in transcribing the text from the printed or written copy to the sign language, as denoted by the perforations on the ribbons of paper.

After all the rolls 24: and 26 are reeled over to the single roll 29 in the first operation, then the said rolls 2a and 26 are rereeled from. the single roll 29 to the several rolls 24 and 26, for in making these book rolls, as they really do constitute book rolls, the system employed in their preparation constitutes forward and return reading, that is to say, longitudinally the paper ribbon is divided by an imaginary line, and the perforation goes along one side and returns by the other, which means, that a single roll may be used on the one side, and the several ribbons returned to the individual rolls in finishing the book, and in order to do this, the upper members of the frame, that is to say, the transverse slides 2, are shifted, which moves the stamping table over for the other longitudinal half of the ribbon of paper.

Briefly the operation of the machine is as follows:

The operator has the copy in front of him, and from this he transfers the text by means of the particular signs adapted to the paper ribbon. These signs may be made up from phonetic spelling or alphabetical signs, as it is not material what sign language is used. In operation, the fingers rest on the finger keys, and the thumbs engage the thumb keys, and on the left hand, so many perforations carry a distinct meaning as to a letter or sound as the case may be.

The key board shown is only one accompanying device that can be used with the punching mechanism, but it must be understood that any machine, which transmits the signals to actuate the punches accordingly, may be used, such as a transmitting machine described in an application copending herewith.

The perforations in a single line will necessarily be for different fingers, and consequently in the making of the book the position of the perforations must be taken into consideration, as to read the same, a signal to one finger or to the other means a great dif ference as to the sound, and similarly in regard to the thumbs, but by the system which has been adopted for this particular work, it takes only twelve punches to take care of all the sounds for reading in the English language, as they can be readily conveyed to the mind through the eight fingers and two thumbs or other part of the hand, but it must not be supposed that this fact limits the number of punches, or that many details may not be changed without; departing from the spirit of the invention, because the use of the machine and several of the specific features are not essential to its operation, and so long as such changes are within the scope of the claims for novelty following, the protection. accorded shall not be invalidated.

lVhat I claim is 1. In a stamping machine, a frame, a punching mechanism supported thereby and suitably operated, a plurality of rolls of paper on the one side fed through said punching mechanism in several ply arrangement, a single roll taking the ribbons from the aforesaid rolls and returning them thereto, and means for driving the rolls to wind the paper from and to the plurality of rolls through said punching mechanism.

2. In a stamping machine, a frame, transverse slides supported thereby, a punching table supported by said slides, punches spring-held in said table, electro-magnets supported by said transverse slides and having armatures operatively connected with said punches, a key board having a common contact representing one terminal and keys forming individual contacts in electrical circuits suitably energized and operating the punches through the armatures of said electro-magnets.

3. In a stamping machine, a single roll, a plurality of paper rolls feeding to and being fed from a said roll, a transversely shiftable punching mechanism adapted to punch one longitudinal half of the ribbon of paper in the forward movement the other longitudinal half in the return movement.

5 4C. In a stamping machine, a frame, a key board in operative relation, :1 paper roll carrying the ribbons of paper to be punched and returned thereto, a spool forming a temporary roll, means for driving said rolls, and

10 a punching mechanism movable across the frame and operated coincidently With the key board and adapted to punch the ribbons of paper in successive transverse short rows along one longitudinal half and back along the other half in successive transverse rows, all in accordance With the operation of the key board.

Signed at the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, this 8th day of March, 1920.

WILFRID DOUGALL. 

